LIVERPOOL prepare to take on French side Le Harve on tonight in their first pre-season friendly after what can only be described as a busy summer.

Three new players are already here, two more are expected to follow with Gerard Houllier adding that he hasn't finished using the chequebook just yet.

In have come El-Hadji Diouf, Alou Diarra and Bruno Cheyrou with (at the time of writing) Lee Bowyer and Salif Diao also Anfield bound. It's a stark contrast to last summer when John Arne Riise was the only acquisition - albeit a brilliant one.

Senegal striker Diouf was snapped up just at the right time, hours before he tore France apart in the World Cup opener. Despite not scoring a goal in the competition, Diouf was fantastic throughout and displayed an array of tricks that haven't been seen at Anfield since Titi Camara packed his bags.

It's obviously too early to tell whether Diouf (left) will be able to make the same sort of impact Nicolas Anelka made during his short stay at Anfield but the performances he gave during the World Cup were very exciting to say the least.

Pace-wise he seems as quick as Anelka. He also seems to possess the skill and technique of Frenchman and similarly, doesn't seem to understand the concept of the offside rule!

As for our other two new boys, well I have to admit that I haven't seen enough of them to pass a fair judgment but Cheyrou found the back of the net 15 times from midfield last season, with three of them coming in six Champions League games. Juventus were also heavily interested in snapping up Diarra, so he must have something about him.

They started training with their new teammates this week and it was superb to read that after only one day at Melwood, Diouf felt as though Emile Heskey, Michael Owen and John Arne Riise were already his 'brothers', with Heskey offering to help him out with the language barrier.

It just goes to show the team sprit Gerard Houllier has built up during his time as club manager which is why many supporters cannot understand the reasoning behind the potential signing of highly controversial midfielder Lee Bowyer.

The Bowyer deal has reportedly 'stalled' due to the midfielder's wage demands but is still expected to go through later this week.

We all know of Bowyer's off-field problems and therefore I won't delve into them, but it does seem strange that Houllier has offloaded 'troublemakers' but is willing to take a #9m gamble on him.

I've always admired Bowyer's footballing skills but I've never been too fond of the aggressive side of his game. In fact, the sickening elbowing of Gary McAllister in an FA Cup tie last year took place right in front of me.

At the end of the day though, we have to accept that Gerard Houllier knows what he is doing and is fully aware of the risk he is taking bringing Bowyer to the club.

If Houllier can get the best out of Bowyer then I firmly believe that we'll have one of the best midfielder's in the country. As the cliche goes, he has an amazing 'engine' and could run from box-to-box all day.

He's not afraid of a tackle and can chip in with 10-15 goals a season from the middle of the park - something we lacked last season. He was also sensational in Leeds' Champions League run a couple of seasons ago and was one of the top goalscorers in the competition.

All eyes will be on Bowyer if/when he does sign and it will certainly be interesting to see what sort of reaction he gets from the crowd.

On ShanklyGates.co.uk, we held a poll to find out how many supporters were for and against Bowyer signing. The result? 50/50 exactly.

I feel that a good start to his Anfield career is crucial if Bowyer is to make the most of this fresh start. He has the chance to put his Leeds troubles behind him and also revive his international career. Quite frankly, he can't afford to waste this opportunity.